The Gulf — Restaurant in Orange Beach

I GOT FOOD POISONING FROM THE SALMON POKE BOWL. 3 days later, I’m still sick.

Hello everyone! I’ve been living down in Pensacola for about six months and I’m a big foodie. Some of our friends told us how good the golf was and so we wanted to go check it out. It is a very cool space and a nice atmosphere. For the prices though and what you got for the food it is a bit of a tourist trap. The sandwiches don’t come with fries. There’s a super long line. You have to wait in to get your food separate from getting your drinks overall I think there’s much better spots in the area.

The big notable thing is that I got food poisoning there on Thursday night when we went. I ordered the salmon poke bowl when it came out the salmon wasn’t necessarily cold like it was fresh out of the fridge and I clocked it, but I didn’t think much about it. And then, as I got deeper into the bowl and got the rice, the rice had like a weird color to it, which was a little suspicious to me. I only ate about half of the bowl and then I just threw the rest out because something seemed off.

I slept horribly that night. I woke up around 3 AM with a low-grade fever and stomach cramps. Since then I have been in pain I did take a Covid and flu test just to be sure it wasn’t something else. But with the symptoms I’m having it’s definitely food poisoning. That’s the only thing I’ve eaten Since Thursday morning, so I know for sure that that is what caused the problems.

I would definitely be cautious of their food. I did go with my wife and some other people and none of them got sick from the food, but they all had grilled sandwiches.

In terms of the service, it took me about 40 minutes to get my food after we ordered it. When I went to get my drinks, the waitress at the bar right when you walk in was extremely rude and she continued to have me step aside and Get other people’s drink orders behind me while she was attempting to make my drink. It just felt like I wasn’t being taken care of at all and I had to wait extra long because sometimes she’d make the peoples drinks behind me in line before she would make mine. I think she was trying to be efficient, but in hindsight was just taking longer for somebody’s drink. And then she’d continually asked me to remind her what I had over and over again

Honestly, there’s no chance I’m ever going back ever. Three days of being sick and having a low-grade fever...

The Gulf was the perfect evening out for our family group of 11 to have an ocean front dinner while on vacation to Orange Beach.

There was zero wait time for a table, our group was easily accommodated. There was a line when ordering food, but for how long it was, it went fairly quick. There was a slight wait for everyone to receive their food, but that was to be expected with the size of group we had. Not everything came out at the same time. It arrived as it was ordered on a first come, first serve basis. The workers do give you a meal placement tablet that allows them to know where you're sitting so they can service your table as your meal is ready.

I personally ordered the Mahi-Mahi Tacos with a side of the Parmesan Truffle Fries. Honestly, both were simply mediocre for the price. They were not bad but both were bland tasting. The tuna did taste fresh but again it was simply bland. I have certainly had better tasting food while visiting Orange Beach. The atmosphere is what made this spot enjoyable.

The entire restaurant seemed to be outdoors with picnic table style seating. If there was an indoor area to eat within the box cars, I did not see it. I did notice a little sand pit for the kids to play in. The Gulf also had it's own gift shop which was pretty neat to check out. They sold various things and even some merch. Mainly tourists type stuff but prices were higher than the average souvenir shops around, soo I personally did not make a purchase. Lastly, it was really cool to see the pirate ship tour go by the restaurant and see it up close and personal. The ship sounded it's horn and people on board waved while those on shore ran up to greet them and wave back. I loved how family-friendly everything was!

Overall, the ocean front view and the experience of being at The Gulf was worth visiting. I personally would not go back for the food alone. There is a bar, soo if I returned, I would not mind trying a drink or spending an evening out with family and friends. It was nice to simply enjoy the outdoor atmosphere, the ocean, the music and the good vibes. If you haven't been, you should check it out for yourself! Again, the oceanic vibes are worth...

The restaurant looked nice, but the cost was not equal to the service or product. I took my wife to the Gulf for her birthday because it looked like it had great vibes and a nice view. The first problem I had was I asked the employee at the order counter for a cup for water (we also ordered drinks too, but we just wanted a water to go with it) and she said that the only option was to buy a bottled water. We also asked for a kids cup for our 5 year old and she said the only option was a regular cup. As I walked around the restaurant I counted at least 6 kids with kid sized cups and many other people with "water" cups (the same size as those kid sized cups, that we were told did not exist). So I feel like I was lied to so they could make an extra few dollars. The second issue I had was the food we ordered. I got the fried shrimp platter, which is my go-to at seafood restaurants. When it came out I was shocked to see that the "platter" was nothing more that a bowl, with another bowl of a massive serving of coleslaw and a few shrimp on the side (pictured) and a side of fries. I thought I ordered the shrimp platter but I guess I was mistaken and ordered the cole slaw platter with these portion sizes. I wouldn't have mined the portion sizes if the "platter" didn't cost nearly $30. I've been to other restaurants where the price is half that and I received double the amount of shrimp. My wife also was unimpressed with the snow crab legs, she said they didn't taste great, we're sticking inside the shell, and the butter was just melted butter rather than clarified butter that we've had at better restaurants. There was also an issue with flies all around (which I understand is not really something the place can control, but it was very annoying having to swat flies every 10 seconds). If you want nice views of the water, the restaurant is good, but other than that I would not come back again. This review will probably not be seen by anyone because it will be buried or deleted, and it's not going to make a dent in the 12k reviews this place has, but just thought I would write our...